


Files from the Archives

by Sapphy, SapphyWatchesYouSleep (Sapphy)



Series: The Eternal Batman Universe [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Backstory, Dysfunctional Family, Epistolary, Evidence, Family, Gen, Homework, Newspapers, POV Child, Past Character Death, Side Story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-02-14 00:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2171574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphy/pseuds/Sapphy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphy/pseuds/SapphyWatchesYouSleep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your very own VIP pass into the Bat-Computer archive</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will cover side material and back-story for Tread Softly, and the other fics in this series, especially in relation to original characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. File #1174

**Author's Note:**

> This universe is getting big, and kinda unwieldy, so I decided it was time to start a spotters guide to the new and weird stuff I've added to Gotham. This is be updated whenever I feel there's something that you guys need filling in on, but feel free to make requests if there's something that's confusing you. Bruce has a file on everything, after all!
> 
> I don't know how big this is going to get, but I'm carefully cross referencing everything, so you can search it easily.

_Letter, originally in code, sent via a number of proxy addresses to Marcus Winrow,_ [see **Aces Wilde** ] _, from Lena Durling,_ [see **Counterfeit** ] _, then a patient in Arkham Asylum. Acquired during a raid on Winrow’s ‘Church of Joker’_  [see **the Church of the Butterfly** ]  _by GCPD._

 

Brother,

I have the most exciting news. My hands are shaking as I write this! I never thought this day would could. I hoped, of course I did, and I always believed in your teachings, believed the Prophet hadn’t left us, but I never thought it would be me!

He came to me, brother. In my confinement, when I’d nearly given up hope, he came to me!

He looked just like He does in the paintings at the church, but in real life, He’s so much more! You can truly feel the touch of sacred Kaos when He’s near. Just to see Him, to hear His voice… I know my faith will never waver again, the way it has these last few months. It’s been so hard in here, no one to talk to but the doctors, who are not just unbelievers, they actively seek to persecute and destroy those of the true faith. But then, as if in answer to prayer, Kaos sent Him to me.

He has given me a special mission, something vitally important that I must do, and he has a mission for you. In six months time, I must escape, and you will help me. I will not be in my own shape, or cell. I’ll send you more details later, in case this is intercepted. In the meantime, you must find a way to create the illusion that I am already free. The police need to be hunting for me.

I know you have no reason to believe me. I risked the whole church when I was caught, and my faith never used to be strong. But He has planned for that as well. If all goes well, you should get this letter on the 3rd of May. Keep your eyes peeled on the 5th. He will send you a sign, so you know I am speaking the truth.

Keep the faith brother. The Unravelling is surely now at hand!

Counterfeit.


	2. File #1005

_Letter written by Dr Vivian Cheung_ [see **Dr Vivian Cheung** ] _presented as evidence at the trial of Lena Durling_ [see **Counterfeit** ].

 

Since her arrest, I have been meeting regularly with Ms Durling at Blackgate, attempting to determine her mental state, the apparently random nature of her crimes leading to claims by some that Ms Durling is mental unstable, or even legally insane. Having made a thorough examination, it is my professional opinion that Ms Durling is not competent to be tried.

She appears to have undergone extensive brainwashing by the Church of the Butterfly, commonly known as the Church of Joker. Her descriptions of her early interactions with the church included mention of their isolating her from her friends and family, asking for large donations of money, and the systematic destruction of her already low self esteem so that she became dependant on them.

It is my belief that this vulnerable young woman was targeted and manipulated into performing criminal acts she would never otherwise have considered, because the Church wished to use her meta-human abilities for their own ends.

In addition, I belief the manifestation of her shape-shifting abilities in her teens may have caused severe mental instability, even psychosis.It is my belief that confinement in Blackgate is exacerbating this, increasing the chances of Ms Durling reoffending on her release.

I advise that she be released into the care of IGA, to be held at Arkham Asylum for observation and treatment.


	3. File #664

_Headline story from the Gotham Daily Journal, regarding the appointment of Jonas Walsh_ [see IGA] _as director of Arkham Assylum._

 

**New director promises sweeping reforms at Arkham**

Following the recent public decline of the Arkham family, and the subsequent buy-out of the Asylum by pharmaceuticals giant IGA, it has been announced that Jonas Walsh is to be appointed the new director of the facility.

Walsh has experience in the field, having previously been deputy director of Belle Reeve Penitentiary in Louisiana, where he earned a reputation as a harsh disciplinarian. IGA say they hope he will bring some much needed structure to the chaotic facility, which has a history of being run by men who were later themselves incarcerated there. No less than three members of the Arkham family have been patients there, and in the mid 20th century, Doctor Hugo Strange, also later a patient in the asylum, was appointed director by the Gotham City Council in an attempt to bring things back in line.

An IGA spokesperson said that they believe Walsh is the ideal candidate for the job, with a proven history in the field.

Walsh himself issued a statement saying that he is looking forward to getting his teeth into a new challenge, and intends to bring in sweeping reforms. In his statement, he said, “The current system is broken, and it’s been broken for a long time. Escapes are accepted as a matter of course, dangerous criminals are coddled and ‘treated’ rather than given the structure and discipline they need. Arkham may be a hospital, but the patients are every bit as dangerous as the inmates at Belle Reeve, and I intend to bring the discipline which served me so well there to bear on this failing institution.”

The appointment has angered many human rights groups, who claim that Walsh’s treatment of prisoners during his time at Belle Reeve was inhumane, and in many cases breached human rights legislation. Arkham staff are also said to be angered by IGA’s decision to bring in an outsider, rather than promote from within.

One long-time Arkham employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Journal, “Arkham is nothing like a prison. Our patients have very specific needs, and it takes time to adjust to the way things are done. Bringing in an outsider just guarantees even more disruptions at an already difficult time as the new management figure out that they don’t know how things need to be done. Plus the fact that it’s someone like Walsh, with a prison rather than a medical background, means his ideas of how things should be run are going to be completely wrong. This decision spells nothing but disaster for the hospital, and the city."

Walsh will take up the position officially in July.


	4. Personal File #322

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Essays written by Jill Todd_ [see **Red Hood II** ] _and Jack Todd_ [see **The Wolf** ] _for homework assignment “My Family”_

I have 1 brother his name is Jack. Our mom and dad are ded. Dad had lots of brothers and sisters. we live with Auntie Steph she is nice and also Uncle Tim. Uncle Tim and Auntie steph are not married they are just friends. They live together so they can look after me and my Brother.

Uncle Dick is very fun I love him lots. He walks with a stick his hair is grey. He tells me funny stories. Auntie Babara is very extremely clever. She likes computers and chocolate she lives in a clock. Once she was shot with a gun, now she uses a wheelchair. Sometimes she lets me ride in it it is fun.

Uncle Bruce wasn’t our dad’s brother he was his dad but we don’t call him grampa. He’s very old and he knows Krav Maga which is a special way of fighting. He is very sad I think it is because dad is ded.

Antie Cass is also ded. Lots of my family are ded. Also there is Damian he is my uncle but we do not call him uncle becus he is not here. He was very sad and he went away and did not cum bak. Uncle Dick says Uncle Bruce shud make him cum home but Uncle Bruce says No.

My family is not like other families because I have lots of uncles and aunties and no mom and dad and also they can fly. I like my family.

 

_Very imaginative, but next time don’t make things up unless you are told too._

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

I live in a theeter with Uncle Tim and Anti Steph and my sister. Before we lived in a apartment but Steph said it was not safe. I like living in the theater it is interesting.

My mom is dead she died because she wanted to keep us safe and then my dad died too. Uncle Tim sed he died of being stupid. Uncle Tim is meen sometimes but he loves us and he is a good dad even though he isn’t my dad.

There is a sad lady called Ivy. She is green. She was my moms girlfriend so I think she is my family too. She likes plants and she tells me what trees ar saying. Sometimes she goes away for a long time but she comes back when it is warm. Uncle Tim says she is per en ee al.

Uncle Bruce lives in a cave. He is strange becus other peoples uncles don’t live in caves. He wants to be kind but he is not very good at it but he is better than uncle tim. Sumtimes he tells us all about his frends who are dead he says we wishes we cud meet them then he looks sad. Uncle bruce will live forever he ses it is not fun becus everyone else gets old and he dusn’t. I don’t want to live for ever but he ses I might.

Jill is my sister she dusn’t like that name. She is the best sister in the world she always helps me. I won’t let anybody hurt my sister I will kill them if they do. I don’t mind living forever like uncle bruce if she dos two.

 

_Please tell your Guardians I would like to see them after school._

 

 

 


	5. File #1182

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Letter sent by Bruce Wayne_ [see **Batman** ] _to Damian Wayne_ [see **Robin** , also **the Demon's Right Hand** ]

My darling son,

Time moves so fast when you are as old as I am. It seems like no time at all time I last wrote to you, and in some ways less than that since you were a last by my side.

Once, when I fought with your mother over her keeping you a secret from me, she replied “But it was only eleven years.” At the time it just made me more furious with her, but I find I am coming to have some sympathy with her. Ten years seems so little time when you are past one hundred years old – how much quicker must it seem to her?

I think of you often. I wish I could say always, but I am a weak man in many ways, and there are times when I must put you from my mind, because the pain of your loss is still too sharp. You were always a bright light in my existence, lessening the darkness of my mind in ways that only my children have ever managed, and my life is infinitely less without you.

Your niece and nephew are well. It is so strange to me that you have never met them as the adults they have become. They are some of the best operatives I have known. They have made Burnley safer than it has ever been. The BTM has been all but eradicated, and none of the gangs which attempt to replace them last long. There are window boxes in Crime Alley. At times it is a little like being in a parallel universe. You would be so proud of them both, just as I am. I never thought I would have grandchildren, or even children of my own, but it had been one of the great privileges of my life to watch them grow.

Much has changed for me this last year. Things I would not put on paper, even if I thought you would want to hear them. I’ve longed for your counsel, to be able to debate with you about the wisdom of my decisions, for you to perhaps talk me out of some of the less rational ones. At the same time, I have almost been glad of your absence, because I know you would feel little but scorn for the man I have become, and I always wanted your good opinion.

No doubt you have heard that the Joker is once again free. The Bat-Computer tells me I am not to blame, that I did as much as any man could, but I can’t help thinking that any one of my children would have handled things better than I have. Certainly ~~you would never~~ Tim would never have allowed any weakness in the Cave’s defences to stand. Cassandra would have known what he was planning as soon as he did. ~~None of you would have~~ You and Jason… I will never endorse killing, however well intentioned, but I would be a liar if I didn’t admit that there have been times when I’ve wondered if you don’t have a point. But I couldn’t live ~~without him~~ with myself. My mind was not designed for the half-life I live now, or the terrible duty Clark charged me with. I must do what I can to preserve my sense of myself, and one of those ways is to hold true to the morality my parents and Alfred raised me with.

I visited the cemetery yesterday. There are periwinkles blooming on Alfred’s grave. He would have much preferred them to the chrysanthemums I’d brought him, so I gave those to Dick. His and Cassandra’s graves look bare compared to the others. The twins leave flowers for Jason and Stephanie. I’m sure they would for Tim as well, but the thorns he asked me to plant on his grave have almost obscured his headstone, and are threatening to cover your grandparents graves as well.

The city has been quiet since Joker joined up with the Church of the Butterfly. Everyone’s waiting for the other shoe to drop, and even the True-Facers have been keeping their heads down. With Hatter, Scarecrow, Dollmaker and Firefly all still in Arkham it’s been a little like Halloween every day for years now, so few of the true Supervillains on the streets, only the gangs and cults, and now even they’re quiet.

Sometimes I miss the old days a little. It is easy to be certain that one is doing the right thing when faced with lunatics in brightly colored costumes. I never had to doubt that Penguin was a villain, or Scarecrow. It’s harder to be certain when dealing with the more mundane criminals.

The Bat Computer has been a great comfort. I had not realized – perhaps had not allowed myself to realize – just what it was Babs gifted to me all those years ago. I had known that the computer was an artificial intelligence, and that it was capable of a great degree of independent thought, and yet until the Joker began to converse with it on a regular basis, I had somehow failed to realize that it is a person. Its preferred name is BC, and it has been a friend to me. It is not like having Babs back, nothing could ever replace her, but it is like having someone intelligent and clear headed and bracing to share my home with, and I’ve missed that a great deal.

I must confess I am struggling to find things to write about. My life outside the Mission always revolved around you and your brothers and sisters, and without them I find I have nothing to talk about. I know hope you have been keeping watch on the city while you are away, and so discussing the various territory wars and power shifts of the last year would be boring to you. And if you have truly washed your hands of this city once and for all, then they would bore you even more. But apart from the Mission ~~and the Joker~~ I have precious little to talk about.

Did you hear the rumors that the Justice League is reforming? I’ve been asked to be a member, and I can’t very well refuse, especially when the one asking is… Martha Lane is not, truly, Superman’s daughter. But it can be very hard to remember it when she is so much like him in so many ways. The people who created her apparently showed her a lot of footage of Clark, in the hope of encouraging her control over her various powers, and she’s picked up several of his mannerisms. It is especially difficult to refuse her when she is, apparently reflexively, displaying her open palms in a gesture of pleading. She looks far less like a religious icon when she does it than Clark used to, but the similarities are still startling.

I believe Vengeance will join, and Knockout. The current Flash, or perhaps Lightspeed. He spends most of his time in continuing his mentor’s study of the Speedforce wall, but he always seemed to enjoy being part of a team. Tim often spoken of his seeming lonely when they were not together. It will be strange to be part of a team again.

I hope that wherever you are, you are not lonely. Remember that loneliness is not the same as being alone, that you must find people you love and who love you in return, even in the worst of circumstances. If I have learnt one thing from my children, it is that you should never turn away from love, even when it comes from the most unexpected sources. I don’t care if the people you surround yourself with are murderers, as long as they care about you.

I love you, and I always will. Come home soon.

Father.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment make me all warm and fuzzy inside.


End file.
